Morocco has been expelled from the 2015 African Cup of Nations after refusing to host the competition as scheduled due to fears over the spread of Ebola. The competition’s organisers now have just days to find an alternative venue, with the cup still scheduled to begin in mid-January.

Morocco had asked to postpone the 16-team tournament by several months, fearing that fans and players from west Africa might spread the Ebola virus to the north African kingdom.

But after a marathon meeting of the competition’s governing body, the Confederation of African Football, officials rejected Morocco’s request and will instead aim to hold the cup on the same dates in January and February in a different African country.

Caf stands to lose millions of dollars in revenue should the competition be postponed. But Morocco says that monetary concerns are trumped by health ones, with around 5,000 people killed since the summer by Ebola in west African countries – including Guinea, whose team still has a chance of qualifying for the tournament.

“This decision is motivated mainly by the medical risks that would put this virus on the health of our fellow Africans,” Morocco’s sports minister, Mohamed Ouzzine, said in a statement.

“Zero safety does not exist but one has to take the necessary precautions so that the coming tournament will be a football feast, bringing together our African brothers,” Ouzzine elaborated in an separate interview. “But given the current Ebola situation we don’t think such a feast can take place as expected.”

Marouane Chamakh of Crystal Palace, Adel Taarabt of Queens Park Rangers and Oussama Assaidi, on loan at Stoke from Liverpool, are Premier League players who will now miss out on playing for Morocco.

Adel Taarabt would be another to miss out. Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PA

“Following the refusal of the Moroccan party, the executive committee decides that the national team of Morocco is automatically disqualified and will not take part in the 30th edition of the Orange Africa Cup of Nations in 2015,” Caf said in a statement following the meeting at their headquarters west of Cairo.

Africa’s top football officials travelled from across the continent for the six-hour conference, which took place behind closed doors, and upon leaving they refused to reveal the names of the countries vying to replace Morocco.

Junior Binyam, a Caf spokesman, said only that there were “a few candidates. But time is running away from us so you will find out within a few days.”

With the Egyptian government aiming to restore its place on the international stage, Egypt is one country that might have welcomed the publicity a home tournament would bring. But reports suggest that Egypt is now also unwilling to host the tournament for health reasons.

Sudan, the cup’s first-ever hosts, and South Africa, the region’s political and sporting heavyweight, have also ruled themselves out. Remaining alternatives include Angola, Gabon and Nigeria.

Some of the continent’s best players have stressed the importance of the tournament continuing as planned, with Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Touré even downplaying the potential threat.

“Me, I’m not really afraid,” Touré told a French radio station earlier this month. “A very strong psychosis exists about this epidemic. The CAN is very important for Africa. It needs to take place.”

Qualifying matches for the tournament will meanwhile continue as normal on 14, 15 and 19 November, Caf said.

“The executive committee confirms the continuation of qualifiers match-days five and six, which will be held during the month, paving the way for the qualification of the 15 teams that will be joining the team of the host country,” Caf’s statement added.